"sound quality is overrated"

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Rocky's Owner, Oct 10, 2019.

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  1. Rocky's Owner

    Rocky's Owner I Don't Rent Air Thread Starter

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    Says a fan of streaming (renting) music. Do most fans of streaming (renting) feel that "sound quality is overrated?" Seems like an asinine statement.
     
  2. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product

    It's all about perspective. A lot of young folk don't care about sound quality. They just want a beat and an attitude.
    That isn't a generalisation, it is a question I have asked many, and they really don't care. Most tell me mp3's sound fantastic .... Each to their own.
     
  3. writteninwater

    writteninwater Forum Resident

    Location:
    Oslo
    I think it is underrated. All the brickwalled stuff and people don't care. It's a joy to hear a record where I think the music and the sound of music go together well.
     
  4. walrus

    walrus Staring into nothing

    Location:
    Nashville
    No. It matters. But it's not the end-all be-all of musical enjoyment. Listening to an Apple Music stream doesn't mean I'm enjoying something less than if I was listening to it some other way. The music is what matters.
     
  5. c-eling

    c-eling They're made of light,We never would have guessed

    According to some of my family members, they really don't care- It's the music and ease of access they care about.
    I don't share this view, and it's what lead me to this forum nine years ago :)
     
    Vinyl_Blues, George P, Xabby and 10 others like this.
  6. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product

    I agree with this totally. I have albums that folks say there are better pressings of, but I enjoy the one I have, so it is fine
     
    shaboo, ARK, Xabby and 1 other person like this.
  7. Exotiki

    Exotiki The Future Ain’t What It Use To Be

    Location:
    Canada
    Please let this not morph into CDs gone by 2020 volume 2
     
  8. sddoug

    sddoug Music Aficionado

    Location:
    San Diego, CA, USA
    It depends upon how one is listening. If you are alone, listening on a high-end stereo then sound quality is very important. If you're cranking a boombox at the beach, or blasting car radio on a warm summer day with the windows down, no it doesn't matter.
     
  9. c-eling

    c-eling They're made of light,We never would have guessed

    I looked at it as a nicely veiled Vs. thread :laugh:
     
  10. MikeManaic61

    MikeManaic61 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Virginia
    I know most don't care, but when 8 found this thread and started listening to music carefully I definitely did care. My ears personally cannot handle the the loud, bass boomy music nowadays.
     
  11. walrus

    walrus Staring into nothing

    Location:
    Nashville
    I should say, mastering quality matters. But the way in which digital audio is listened to does not.
     
  12. spacer

    spacer Forum Resident

    Location:
    US
    It is nice for convenience sake to pull up a song on a mobile device. But I often find the quality inexplicably bad. Like, someone at these labels had to go out of their way to make the sound that bad.
     
    Stencil likes this.
  13. MikeManaic61

    MikeManaic61 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Virginia
    I still have my picket sign when I go outside:

    "Physical media dooms us all!
    Digital is the future!"
     
    ARK and Exotiki like this.
  14. Dillydipper

    Dillydipper Space-Age luddite

    Location:
    Central PA
    We have made the quest for sound quality impossible to attain without over-thinking measurements, over-planning systems, over-obsessing the iotas of improvement we can get for the the hours we can lose enjoying, and over-spending even after we get to the point we started out desiring in the first place.

    There isn't a thread here where some guy with shoes that equal our take-home checks, doesn't post, "aww, it's easy - just get ya some of those platinum/unobtanium-alloy-tipped gewgaws, and stick 'em onto yer Univac 3000 Heritage Edition...and don't forget to re-wire the house for three increments higher than next years' standard!".

    You can't keep up with guys like that. At the same time, you really wonder when he gets home from his hedge-fund job, if he really has the time to listen to :40 of actual music without checking the internet to make sure he's enjoying it with the proper cognac.
     
    waterface, The Bishop, ARK and 3 others like this.
  15. Keith V

    Keith V Forum Resident

    Location:
    Secaucus, NJ
    I prefer clarity above all else. But if something is wrong with the recording (NR, brick wall, etc.) it will bother me if I notice it.

    Unfortunately I’m not an audiophile nor do I have a high end system.
     
    Jarleboy likes this.
  16. c-eling

    c-eling They're made of light,We never would have guessed

    Completely agree. But unfortunately with these services we are forced with (imo) crap-tastic modern re-mastering's of our favorites. This in itself is why I haven't gone this route.
     
    nosliw and Rocky's Owner like this.
  17. Naughty Chord

    Naughty Chord Hole in my Socrates

    Location:
    Sub-Tropo Texas
    As a kid in the 60s I only had a little AM clock radio and a horrible little Mickey Mouse type "record player" with tiny built in speaker. I don't think my listening enjoyment was any less back then than it is now with more knowledge and better equipment.
     
  18. DaveinMA

    DaveinMA Some guy

    As a crotchety old guy in training, I'd like to say that evidence suggests that it's increasingly true that musical quality is overrated, but I won't.
     
  19. Evethingandnothing

    Evethingandnothing Forum Resident

    Location:
    Devon
    Agreed. If something is mixed and mastered well it'll probably still sound good on a poor system or format.
     
  20. Vic_1957

    Vic_1957 Forum Resident

    Location:
    NJ, USA
    A few years ago, my nephew got a 12" Bluetooth speaker w/ EQ and a few other goodies. I asked him if he didn't mind the music not being in stereo. It didn't bother him at all.
     
    Sordel, ARK, Exotiki and 1 other person like this.
  21. CrawdaddySim1

    CrawdaddySim1 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Indianapolis, IN
    It's not always about how one "enjoys" music, but pure finance! I spent loads on CD's in my 20's... and now wish I'd put it in a mutual fund! Now I have mouths to feed, and as much fun as a vinyl collection might be... $25 and up per record? No thanks! The music industry already got my money!
     
    zebop, funcrusha, RickH and 1 other person like this.
  22. Schoolmaster Bones

    Schoolmaster Bones Poe's Lawyer

    Location:
    ‎The Midwest
    I found a picture of your random "fan of streaming (renting) music":

    [​IMG]

    To summarize: Fans of streaming (renting) music are asinine because of imaginary guy who said stupid thing.
     
  23. juss100

    juss100 Forum Resident

    Location:
    London
    Obviously not. I'm no expert in mastering or quality equipment and so on but the gains made by listening to CD Quality sound on half decent equipment compared to Spotify on my phone with cheap headphones are massive. No reason not to spend money if you love music and can afford it.

    I do stream a lot on the move but it always leaves me anxious to get back home...
     
  24. Harry Flashman

    Harry Flashman Forum Resident

    I think it’s a case of most people know no alternative, or care for one . It’s a little lost on me to be fair, I’ve tried every streaming site with all varying qualities, and with equipment good enough to play it properly; and through all of that Apple Digital Masters sounds better than the competition. My ears are probably wrecked.
     
    Greg Gee likes this.
  25. thehatandbeard

    thehatandbeard Forum Resident

    Location:
    UK
    For me, sound quality is important but it’s not the be all and end all. I’d rather listen to a great album on a small Bluetooth speaker than some awful crap on a top flight system.
     
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